1. Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to electronic devices, and more particularly, in one or more embodiments, to protection of a semiconductor junction.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Many electronic devices employ semiconductor devices having a semiconductor junction. One example of such semiconductor devices is a bipolar transistor that has p-n junctions. A bipolar transistor can be used for various applications, such as signal amplification or switching.
A bipolar transistor has a base-emitter junction that is typically designed to be forward-biased during normal operation. In some instances when a bipolar transistor is used in switching applications, a reverse bias voltage can be applied across the base-emitter junction.
Bipolar transistors made by modern processes have a relatively small structure and cannot withstand very much reverse bias voltage without a permanent degradation in performance. Yet, bipolar transistors can be used to process large signal swings in certain applications. Such bipolar transistors can be damaged by reverse bias condition caused by the large signal swings. As such, there is a need for protection of a semiconductor junction from reverse bias in certain instances.